If you're serious about building a high-performing affiliate program, you can’t just “set it and forget it.” The best affiliate programs are recruited, not just joined. But with limited time and resources, how do you scale your affiliate recruitment without letting it feel cold, generic, or automated?
Here’s your breakdown of how to find and recruit new affiliates the smart way. You’ll see exactly where automation can help and where your human voice must shine through.
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Affiliate Profile
Before you start recruiting, get crystal clear on who you want.
Ask yourself:
Are they creators or educators?
Do they focus on TikTok, YouTube, blogs, or email?
Do they serve beginners, pros, hobbyists, or high-ticket shoppers?
Are they past customers or industry insiders?
Automation Tip:
Use tools like SparkToro or Modash to identify influencers or creators based on audience data not just follower count.
Human Touch:
Craft a clear value proposition that speaks to their goals, not just yours. Think: “You’ve built trust with your audience. Here’s how we can reward that trust together.”
Step 2: Mine Your Existing Network
Some of your best partners already know you. Don’t skip the easy wins.
Here’s where to look:
Past customers (via post-purchase surveys or emails)
Top sharers on social media
Brand taggers on Instagram and TikTok
Influencer CRM data (if you’ve worked with creators before)
Automation Tip:
Use post-purchase surveys or Klaviyo segmenting to auto-tag customers who say “yes” to affiliate interest. Connect tools like Gatsby to track who’s tagging you on socials.
Human Touch:
Send a short, personal follow-up like:
"Saw your recent post… thank you! Want to officially partner with us? We’d love to support your content."
Step 3: Find Creators at Scale (The Smart Way)
You don’t need a massive team to recruit at scale but you will need to create a smart system.
Top tools to consider:
Collabstr or Influencity for creator outreach
Refersion, GoAffPro, or Social Snowball for affiliate network access
Upfluence for influencer search + automated workflows
Automation Tip:
Use templates and sequences to pitch at scale. Email tools like Instantly or Mailshake let you schedule cold outreach and follow-ups.
Human Touch:
Don’t send generic messages. Use tokens and custom fields to personalise by:
Mentioning their content type (YouTube vs Instagram)
Complimenting a specific piece of content
Aligning your product with their audience
Example:
"Hey Jess, I found your 'Summer Travel Must-Haves' reel! Your recommendations are so valuable - so tempted to book another holiday now! We make luxury dog seats that your travel-loving audience might find useful taking their dog on holiday this summer. Would you be open to an affiliate collab? I’m only contacting a few influencers and your content absolutely nailed the affiliates I’m looking to work with…"
Step 4: Build a Branded Recruitment Experience
Treat your affiliate program like a product. Sell it.
Must-haves:
Clear landing page explaining your offer
Program benefits and earnings explained in plain language
Creator testimonials or social proof
Fast sign-up and onboarding
Automation Tip:
Some basic affiliate platforms can be limited on this process, especially when it comes to recruitment forms. Use Typeform, Notion, or a custom landing page connected to Shopify, your CRM or affiliate platform to onboard affiliates instantly.
Human Touch:
Follow up new applications with a personal video or voice message via Bonjoro or Loom. This takes you a few minutes a day and the response rates are so good. Why? It’s above and beyond what anybody else s doing. It’s unexpected and powerful.
Step 5: Keep the Human Element Alive at Every Stage
The best affiliates stay because they feel like partners.
Simple ways to do this:
Send birthday gifts or thank-you surprises to top performers
Offer one-on-one check-ins or group Zoom Q&As
Highlight their content in your emails or social posts
Automation Tip:
Use Zapier to trigger workflows, e.g., when an affiliate hits £500 in commission, send a Slack message or gift card via Reachdesk.
Human Touch:
Build a private creator group (WhatsApp, Discord, Slack) to foster genuine connection.
Final Thoughts: People Partner with People
Recruiting affiliates at scale can be systemised but the secret to lasting partnerships is human connection.
The automation helps you find, follow up, and onboard.
The human touch is what makes them stay.
Build systems. Lead with empathy. Scale with purpose.
Need help building your affiliate recruitment engine?
I’ve spent 25 years building ecommerce growth through partnerships.
Let’s talk about what a high-performing partner strategy could look like for your brand.